A Visit to the Past – An Unusual Erasmus Trip ****************************************************************************************** * A Visit to the Past – An Unusual Erasmus Trip ****************************************************************************************** Český Krumlov is a Czech town which may be small in size but is nonetheless significantly well-known destination, famous for being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is situated on a hi the Vltava River, whose meanders form a typically picturesque surrounding to the scenery o This stretch of the river is very popular among canoeists and rafters, who come to South B summer to enjoy the nature and other attractions of the region, Český Krumlov included. Th lures tourists with its typical architecture, such as the narrow streets and buildings dec scraffiti. The State Castle and Chateau of Český Krumlov is a Czech architectural jewel. H Fotoatelier Seidel, which we visited on our trip with the Erasmus Club of the Faculty of A real, yet hidden, treasure of the town. ¨ The Fotoatelier Seidel is situated in a detached house which would go unnoticed if it wasn greenhouse-like roof which was necessary for photographing before the town was electrified was adapted for this purpose in 1905 and, as well as the atelier itself, it also contains a darkroom, a room for daylight photo-copying and other rooms needed not only for the proc production, but also for the daily life of the Seidel family. Josef Seidel and his son Fra the small family firm into a prosperous business. After his father’s death in 1935, Franti the fotoatelier and sustained the success of the business. Nevertheless, soon after the Co power, František was forced to close the business down. Therefore, the Fotoatelier stayed original form from 1949, until the year 2005 when the building was bought by Český Krumlov and converted into the museum which stands today. The Erasmus Club visit to the Fotoatelier Seidel was a rather interactive one. After a sho history of the Seidel family and the atelier, we had a guided tour of the house and discov We smelled the old odour of thousands of negatives and customer-records in the attic, we s decorations on the walls in the dressing room, which no doubt helped customers to relax an fear of the camera (as it was often their first time to be photographed ever!), we touched guessed which of its sides was meant to be exposed to light (it was the rougher one); we s we were on a trip to the past and we relished every moment of it. Probably the best part of the excursion was the darkroom where we were shown the whole pro photo making. It felt like a real adventure: a dark lab with mysterious equipment where se vital role, chemicals are everywhere, and just a tiny beam of daylight might destroy every of our digital cameras suddenly radically diminished. We also enjoyed posing for a group p original decorations in the atelier. Although we did not really have time to dress up in t the 1920s (which would usually be lent to the visitors), nonetheless we left with a nice p the memory of our visit to the fotoatelier. The Erasmus Club trip to Český Krumlov was a complete success. The weather, the town and t atmosphere among students were truly pleasant. Despite seeing the “classic” focal points o their finest, for the majority of the group the most unique and unforgettable part of the excursion to the Fotoatelier Seidel, a place where time certainly stood still. By: Helena Hradilová is a student of Translation and Inter She is very fond of languages, meeting new people and University. To further support Erasmus students in exp maintain contact between students of different culture Proofreading: Marita Moloney is a third year Law International stude array of interests, ranging from art and culture to cu developing her journalistic skills, gain valuable work